A porter in a British hotel comes upon an American tourist impatiently jabbing at the button for the lift.
"Sir, the lift will be here in a moment."
"Lift? Lift?" replies the American. "Oh, you mean the elevator."
"No sir, here we call it a lift."
"Well, as it was invented in the United States, it’s called an elevator."
"Yes sir, but as the language was invented here, it’s called a lift."
complex n. Child's, esp. A boy's, subconscious sexual desire for the parent of the opposite sex. oedipal adj. [greek oidipous, who unknowingly married his mother]
OESTRUS
n. (also oestrum, us estrus) recurring period of sexual receptivity in many female mammals. oestrous adj. [greek oistros frenzy]
OFFBEAT
—adj. - not coinciding with the beat.
- eccentric, unconventional. —n. Any of the unaccented beats in a bar.
OFFENCE
n. (us offense) 1 illegal act; transgression.
- upsetting of feelings, insult; umbrage (give offence; take offence).
- aggressive action. [related to *offend]
OFFENSE
n. (brit. Offence) 1 illegal act; transgression.
- upsetting of feelings, insult; umbrage (give offence; take offence).
- aggressive action. [related to *offend]
OFFHAND
—adj. Curt or casual in manner. —adv. Without preparation or thought (can't say offhand). offhanded adj. Offhandedly adv. Offhandedness n.
OFFICER
n. - person holding a position of authority or trust, esp. One with a commission in the army, navy, air force, etc.
- policeman or policewoman.
- holder of a post in a society (e.g. The president or secretary).
OFFLINE
computing —adj. Not online. —adv. With a delay between the production of data and its processing; not under direct computer control.
OFFLOAD
v. Get rid of (esp. Something unpleasant) by passing it to someone else.
OFFPEAK
adj. Used or for use at times other than those of greatest demand.
